If it feels like we’ve been in New York a lot recently, it’s because we have. There was our visit to ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2’ back in April, and our recent Mother’s Day pilgrimage in May (‘The Boys in the Band’, ‘Once on This Island’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’). The month of June brought something even more special, at least for me: a Betty Buckley show. Ever since her iconic star turn in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ I’ve been a die-hard Betty Buckley fan, and my adoration and adulation of her has only grown over the ensuing years. She’s one of those rare artists who changes and evolves, yet somehow always manages to produce meaningful and beautiful music, even when venturing into uncharted territory. Her 18thalbum, ‘Hope’, was the reason for her celebratory series of shows at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre, and after missing out for too many years, I finally booked us tickets.
We arrived at the Albany-Rensselaer station to a sign that explained all trains were going to Grand Central terminal, instead of Penn, which foiled my original plan for our hotel to be within short walking distance of the station. On a good day, Andy doesn’t well with a lot of walking, but things were even more distressing because he’d just had a rough bout with a recent blood test. Somehow, he managed to trudge through the change in plans, and was a trooper for the entire weekend.
Grand Central is so much nicer than Penn anyway, and a quick Uber ride would get us to our accommodations without incident. The ride was more than worth it as our suite at the Hotel Eventi was an elegant treat. One of our favored Kimpton properties, the Eventi extended our appreciation for the company and its customer service. (We even whispered the little promotional phrase and were gifted with a cute little summer basket of beach accessories.)
After settling in, I went for a quick walk while Andy took a much-needed siesta. We were in the city again, and the evening was open…
